Do I ship it?

GamesBullet HellBullet Hell + Noir

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Noir Bullet Hell?

Bullet Hell + Noir

Only 18 developers shipped a Noir Bullet Hell in the last 2 years, too few for firm odds: the middle one made est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method.; the top game by est. revenue, DeTechtive 2112, made about est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method.. 14 more are announced.

Verdict: poor odds, for a 3 / 10 build.

The middle developer here made $420, ×0.9 the market's $480 for a 3 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $180; 1 in 20 cleared $19k, ×42 the market median. Revenue is down 90% on the market; 14 games are announced against 10 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 0.9 times the market baseline, revenue down 90% on the market, 14 announced, ×1.4 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Bullet Hell + Noir
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 18
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $8.4k → $3.1k → $30 (still earning) → $210 (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Bullet Hell + Noir: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 18
Bottom 30% $179 (exactly $179)
Median $416 (exactly $416)
Top 25% $4.2k (exactly $4,196)
Top 5% $20k (exactly $19,782)
Developers, 2 yr 18
Released games 40
Announced 14
Effort 3 / 10
AI-buildability High
Typical price $4.99

momentum: how a niche's revenue percentiles and developer count moved between two equal, adjacent periods, divided by the market's own move. See method., 12 months: revenue down 90% on the market, supply 25% more developers than the period before.

Free games: 15%, excluded from money figures.

See every window in the explorer →

Plate 2 · systems and tooling

Can AI deliver it?

AI-buildability for this niche is high: the lowest rating among its tags.

Bullet Hell
effort 3 / 10 · high · effort 3 sits in the high band
Noir
effort 3 / 10 · high · effort 3 sits in the high band

How the rubric works →

Plate 3 · the cost side

What it takes

Effort
3 / 10 · small 2D action, light systems
Systems
Bullet Hell; 8 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Action, Adventure, Shooter
Price point
$4.99 typical · top 25% priced $10.99 or above
Art
5 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 1990's, 3D, Realistic
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $10.99 or above; the middle game at $4.99.

The top 10 games average 80% positive over 324 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $180, median $420, 1 in 4 over $4.1k, 1 in 20 over $19k.

3 in 10 developers made under $180. All of the 9 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 14 games are announced against 10 developers who shipped in the last year.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

Bullet Hell with a different setting or mood, ranked by verdict then median.

  1. + SuperheroStrong odds11 devs · median $3.4k · 7 announced
  2. + FaithFair26 devs · median $17k · 29 announced
  3. + VampiresFair43 devs · median $3.4k · 33 announced
  4. + Creature CollectorFair24 devs · median $3.4k · 33 announced
  5. + Strategy RPGFair40 devs · median $2.0k · 31 announced
  6. + PiratesFair14 devs · median $2.0k · 20 announced
  7. + CatsFair44 devs · median $1.7k · 59 announced
  8. + HackingFair15 devs · median $1.6k · 17 announced
  9. + Time ManagementFair11 devs · median $1.2k · 15 announced
  10. + Card BattlerFair24 devs · median $1.2k · 22 announced
  11. + DemonsFair101 devs · median $1.2k · 125 announced
  12. + Naval CombatFair14 devs · median $1.1k · 16 announced

All 185 pairs on the Bullet Hell page

Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
Angel at Dusk older $14.99 1,676 98% 50k $754k (exactly $753,697) Akiragoya
LIBERATED older $19.99 679 77% 20k $407k (exactly $407,196) Atomic Wolf, L.INC
Soundodger 2 older $19.99 185 95% 5.6k $111k (exactly $110,944) Studio Bean
DeTechtive 2112 $10.99 60 46% 1.8k $20k (exactly $19,782) M11 Studio
Mr. Fast older $4.99 105 79% 3.2k $16k (exactly $15,718) ZHANG FAN
TOUHOU RHAPSODY OF MOON RABBIT · EA $9.99 47 82% 1.4k $14k (exactly $14,086) 瓦尔基里游戏
Undead West $7.99 35 82% 1.1k $8.4k (exactly $8,390) Deathless Games
DEN PAIN $2.04 110 88% 3.3k $6.7k (exactly $6,732) TXC
Hit Zero: Chronos older $4.99 41 70% 1.2k $6.1k (exactly $6,138) ZHANG FAN
Memorise'n'run older $9.99 19 89% 570 $5.7k (exactly $5,694) JOZGamer
RAZE $9.99 14 100% 420 $4.2k (exactly $4,196) RAZE CLUB
Dark Erosion: Endless Siege $6.99 15 80% 450 $3.1k (exactly $3,146) LaoLiang
Miryam: The Polluted Land $4.99 5 100% 150 $748 (exactly $748) 6.5F Studio
X-teroids $0.99 23 100% 690 $683 (exactly $683) liangxiegame
Opollo $0.99 14 85% 420 $416 (exactly $416) Planetary Gears
星界远航 Stellar Realm Voyage · EA $8.99 1 100% 30 $270 (exactly $270) SGAIZFTX

Estimates: copies = reviews × 30, gross = copies × list price.